Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to image forming apparatuses using an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, such as copying machines, printers, and facsimiles.
Description of the Related Art
For example, in image forming apparatuses using an electrophotographic method in the related art, a toner image formed on an image bearing member, such as a photoconductive member, is transferred and fixed to a printing medium to form an image. In such image forming apparatuses, residual toner and other adhering substances on the surface of an image bearing member after a transferring process are removed with a cleaning unit. A widely used example of the cleaning unit is an elastic cleaning blade serving as a cleaning member that is disposed in contact with the image bearing member and that scrapes the toner and so on from the image bearing member.
The cleaning blade is generally disposed in contact with the image bearing member in a direction counter to the direction of rotation of the image bearing member, and therefore the friction between the image bearing member and the cleaning blade can be excessive. The excessive friction may cause the cleaning blade to be worn, to vibrate to generate an unusual noise, to be curled up, or another malfunction.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-161426 discloses a technique for preventing generation of an unusual noise halfway through stopping the image bearing member by forming a predetermined toner image on the image bearing member and supplying the toner of the toner image to a contact portion between the image bearing member and the cleaning blade halfway through stopping the image bearing member after completion of image formation.
The above method can reduce the friction between the image bearing member and the cleaning blade halfway through stopping the image bearing member after completion of image formation. However, in the case where a fixed amount of toner is supplied to the contact portion between the image bearing member and the cleaning blade after completion of image formation, the toner can run short to generate excessive friction or, on the contrary, the toner is too much and wasted at the next start of the image bearing member.